Angry protests spread over anti-Muslim film

Saturday 15 September 2012

ANGRY demonstrations against an anti-Islam film have spread, targeting British and German embassies and sparking clashing with security forces around the Middle East and other Muslim countries.

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Jamie Lewis

In Sudan, a prominent sheikh on state radio urged protesters to march on the German Embassy to protest against alleged anti-Muslim graffiti on mosques in Berlin, and then to the US Embassy to condemn the film.

Several hundred Sudanese stormed into the German Embassy in the capital Khartoum, burning a car parked behind its gates and setting fire to rubbish bins.Police firing tear gas drove the protesters out of the compound, and some then began to demonstrate outside the neighbouring British Embassy, shouting slogans, while others left, heading to the US Embassy.Foreign Secretary William Hague said no British Embassy staff were injured but urged the Sudanese government to bring those responsible to justice."We have spoken to the Sudanese Ambassador in London [Abdullahi Hamad Ali Alazreg] and raised our serious concerns that this attack was able to take place," he said ..Protests were held in cities after weekly Friday Muslim prayers, where many clerics in their mosque sermons denounced the movie produced in the US that denigrated the Prophet Muhammad.After security forces earlier this week stood aside in the face of protesters, Yemen and Egypt made efforts yesterday to contain them.Egypt's Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, went on state TV and urged Muslims to protect foreign diplomatic missions..In east Jerusalem, Israeli police stopped a crowd of around 400 Palestinians from marching on the US consulate. Demonstrators threw bottles and stones at police, who responded by firing stun grenades. Four protesters were arrested.Security forces in Yemen shot live rounds in the air and fired tear gas at a crowd of around 2000 protesters trying to march to the US Embassy in the capital Sanaa. Though outnumbered by protesters, security forces were able to keep the crowd away from the mission.A small, peaceful demonstration was held outside the US Embassy in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.In Kashmir, thousands of Muslims burned US flags and called president Barack Obama a terrorist, while the top government cleric reportedly demanded Americans leave the volatile Indian-controlled region.Authorities asked the Indian government to block online clips from the film, but at least 15,000 people took part in more than two dozen protestsIn Bangladesh, about 5000 hardline Muslims marched in the streets of Dhaka after prayers, burning US and Israeli flags and calling for the death of the film-maker. Police prevented them from marching toward the US Embassy several miles away.In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, about 200 protesters chanted slogans and held up signs in a largely peaceful protest outside the US Embassy in Jakarta. In Tunisia, a large cloud of black smoke rose from the US Embassy in Tunis, where stone-throwing protesters and police were waging a pitched battle.In Bahrain, more than 2000 protesters chanted against the film and burned American and Israeli flags after Friday prayers in a Shi'ite mosque in Diraz, outside the capital, Manama. There were also demonstrations in Iraq, Afghanistan and in Jos, Nigeria, where troops fired live rounds to disperse protesters.In London, around 250 protesters marched noisily but peacefully to the US Embassy.

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Angry protests spread over anti-Muslim film

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